Word of the Day

: January 20, 2010

Augean stable

noun aw-JEE-un-STAY-bul

What It Means

: a condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption

Augean stable in Context

The presidency of Ulysses S. Grant was marred by his refusal to clean out the Augean stables of his own administration.

Did You Know?

"Augean stable" most often appears in the phrase "clean the Augean stable," which usually means "clear away corruption" or "perform a large and unpleasant task that has long called for attention." Augeas, the mythical king of Elis, kept great stables that held 3,000 oxen and had not been cleaned for thirty years -- until Hercules was assigned the job. Hercules accomplished this task by causing two rivers to run through the stables. The word "Augean" is sometimes used by itself, too -- it has come to mean "extremely difficult and usually distasteful." We can refer to "Augean tasks," "Augean labor," or even "Augean clutter."